Yugas and Avatars

Yuga in Hindu philosophy is the name of an epoch or era within a four age cycle. According to Hindu cosmology, life in the universe is create and destroyed once every 4.1 to 8.2 billion years, which is one full day for Brahma. The cycles are said to repeat like the seasons, waxing and waning within a greater time-cycle of the creation and destruction of the universe. Each Yuga involves stages or gradual changes which the earth and the consciousness of mankind goes through as a whole. A complete Yuga cycle from a high Golden Age of Enlightenment to a Dark Age and back again is said to be caused by the solar system's motion around another star.

The four Yugas were Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and the last one which has not occurred yet is the Kali Yuga.

The Satya Yuga is the Yuga when humanity is governed by gods, and every manifestation or work is close to the purest ideal and humanity will allow intrinsic goodness to rule supreme. It is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age". The Satya Yuga lasts 1,728,000 years. During this Yuga, we see four incarnations of Vishnu which appear to save humanity.

1. Matsya: the fish. Lord Vishnu takes the form of a fish to save Manu from a flood, after which he takes his boat to the new world along with one of every species of plant and animal, gathered in a massive cyclone.
2. Kurma: the tortoise. When the devas and asuras were churning the Ocean of Milk in order to get amrita, the nectar of immortality, the mount Mandara they were using as the churning staff started to sink and Lord Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to bear the weight of the mountain.
3. Varaha: the boar, He appeared to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth, or Prithvi, and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have lasted for a thousand years, which the former finally won. Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place. 
4. Narasimha: he half-man/half-lion appeared in the Satya Yuga. The rakshasa(An evil person) Hiranyakashipu, the elder brother of Hiranyaksha, was granted a powerful boon from Brahma, not allowing him to be killed by man or animal, inside or out, day or night, on earth or the stars, with a weapon either living or inanimate. Vishnu descended as an anthropomorphic incarnation, with the body of a man and head and claws of a lion. He then disembowels the rakshasa at the courtyard threshold of his house, at dusk, with his claws, while he lay on his thighs.

Treta Yuga is the second out of four yugas. Treta means third in sanskrit. The famous events in this yuga were Lord Vishnu's fifth, sixth and seventh incarnations as Vamana, Parashurama and Rama respectively. 

1. Vamana: Vishnu incarnated as the dwarf son of Aditi to stop King Mahabali of the Asura race, the grandson of Prahlada, from completing a sacrifice which would allow him to overshadow Indra in power and splendor. The jealous and worried Devas persuaded Vishnu to send Bali, a bhakta of his, to Patala, the underworld. Vishnu did so by taking advantage of the King's kindness and refusal to go back on his word, but allowed him a luxurious dwelling and sovereignty in one of the lower worlds.
2. Parashurama, Rama with the axe. He is son of Jamadagni and Renuka. He received an axe after a penance to Shiva. King Kartavirya Arjuna and his army visited the father of Parashurama at his ashram, and the saint was able to feed them with the divine cow Kamadhenu. The king demanded the animal, Jamadagni refused, and the king took it by force and destroyed the ashram. Parashurama then killed the king at his palace and destroyed his army. In revenge, the sons of Kartavirya killed Jamadagni. Parashurama took a vow to kill every Kshatriya on earth twenty-one times over, and filled five lakes with their blood. Ultimately, his grandfather, the great rishi Rucheeka, appeared and made him halt. 
3. Rama: Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya.  Rama is a commonly worshiped avatar in Hinduism, and is thought of as the ideal heroic man. His story is recounted in one of the most widely read scriptures of Hinduism, the Ramayana. While in exile from his own kingdom with his brother Lakshman and the monkey king Hanuman, his wife Sita was abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. He travelled to Ashoka Vatika in Lanka, killed the demon king and saved Sita.

Dvapara Yuga is the third out of four Yugas. According to the Puranas, this Yuga ended at the moment when Krishna returned to his eternal abode of Vaikuntha. This Yuga last 864,000 years. The only two pillars in this age are Compassion and Truthfulness.

1. Krishna: was the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudev. Krishna is the most commonly worshiped deity in Hinduism and an avatar in Vaishnava belief. His name means 'dark' or 'attractive', and he appeared in the Dwapara Yuga alongside his brother Balarama, and was the central character of the Bhagavad Gita. He is mentor to Arjuna, delivering him the Gita at the Battle of Kurukshetra. He is often depicted playing the murali and having a mischievous spirit.
2. Buddha: In this age, the true devotion to Vedas was replaced by empty rituals. To enlighten the world, Lord Vishnu descended the earth as Buddha, the enlightened one. He was born as the crown prince of the Kapilavastu to King Suddhodana and Maya. He was named Siddhartha, meaning "All things fulfilled". But his mother died soon after his birth and was brought up by Prajapati, the sister of Maya. Buddha was saddened by death of living creatures, and vices like poverty. He wasn't happy with any answers that were provided to him and he decided to find out the meaning and the absolute truth and he left his wife and child to a hermit's life in the forest and became the enlightened one. Buddha advocated the Middle Path, in which he offered a balanced, harmonious way of life, steering between two extremes of self-indulgence and total abstinence.

Kali Yuga is the "age of Kali" and is the last of the four yugas. Kali Yuga is associated with the demon Kali. This is associated with strife, discord, quarrel, or contention. 

1. Kalki: is the final incarnation of Vishnu, foretold to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, our present epoch. He will be atop a white horse and his sword will be drawn, blazing like a comet. He is the harbinger of end time and will destroy all unrighteousness and evil at the end of Kali Yuga.

___________________________________________________________

“Whenever righteousness wanes and unrighteousness increases I send myself forth.For the protection of the good and for the destruction of evil,and for the establishment of righteousness,I come into being age after age.” (Gita:4.7–8)

DQ: Why do the Yugas get smaller every time? If Satya Yuga was so good, why did they need 4 avatars and we, in the Kali Yuga, only get one?

Idol Worship

Murti or idol worship is currently an integral part of Hinduism. It is important to distinguish between murtis and idols. The term "murti" means "divine form", and can refer to anything which one prays to when conducting a puja. However, the term "idol" refers to a humanoid figure representing Brahman or God.

            Originally, Hindus did not worship idols, but instead focused on murtis such as Agni (fire) or Surya (sun). Proof of this can be found in the Yajurveda, with this quote: "Of him there is no likeness, whose glory is infinite". The quote describes how no one idol could describe God or Brahman fully. However, a shift eventually occurs; In the Ramayana, Rama worships a Shivalingum in Rameswaram before attacking Sri Lanka. Further proof of this can be seen from the conception of the Shilpa Shashtras, a collection of various Hindu writings that rose to prominence as the use of idols for prayer grew. They we're used as the primary source of information regarding the creation of any murti.

Why do you think idol worship started becoming more and more popular as the standard form of Hindu worship?

            The historical answer for the above question is that Buddhists first started to used idols in their prayer. Hindus, craving the ability to worship at any time outside of a proper puja or havan chose to create their own idols.

            Of course, there are reasons for and against the use of idols within worship. As described by Swami Vivekananda, idol worship helps people to focus on the formlessness nature of God. Idols also allow for a very personal connection with God. One easy way to explain this was through the use of a clip from the cartoon Naruto. Within the clip, the title character is learning how to focus his thoughts onto a specific point. This serves as an analogy for the concept of focus. The clip can be found here--http:/www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=N85THbFWOBc

            However, there are many arguments against the use of idols in worship. For example, the Vedas specifically describe the form of God as formless and describe worship through havan as the primary method for connection with God. Furthermore, certain idols (also murtis) are given extra importance over other murtis. One example of this is the predominant worship of Tirupati within South India. Of course, it is up to the individual to form their own opinion of idol worship and to choose their own path.

Classical Dance in Hinduism

Hindu Classical Dance has many forms all stemming from the Natyasastra. The Natyasastra was written around the 1st century BCE by Sage Bharata. It is considered one of the most highly regarded pieces of literature for dance, and is even considered the fifth Vedas. It’s detailed description of dance, what it means, what it should evoke, and how it should be used is what makes it stand out as one of the most informative pieces of Hindu literature.

The Devadasis were the original dancers of India. They served God through dance and were considered married to God. They held a very high social status, much to the same regard as priests. However, with the influence of outside forces, mainly British influence, the status of a Devadasi was lowered to that of a prostitute. It took many years before classical dance was revived.

With the aid of Rukmini Devi in the 1920s, a resurgence of classical dance was seen. It was transformed from the prostitute social status to that of a worship based artform. Though it never regained it’s status as a Devadasi, and equivalent to that of a priest, it still regained some of it’s footing.

The many forms of dance include: Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Odissi, Mohinniattyam, Sattriya, Kathak, and Kathakali. These are only a few of the many in India. Though very different in structure and composition, all these dance forms have similar underlying principles. The elements of natya- dramatic element, nritta-rhythmic footwork, and nritya- the interpretation are what tie all these art forms together.

Finally, it is evident that classical dance has often been interpreted as Bollywood in media. So You Think You Can Dance is one such example. By taking classical dance elements, and fusing them with Bollywood beats and music has been seen more recently. Is this appropriate?

Yatho Hasta Thatho Drishti,

Yatho Drishti Thatho Manah

Yatho Manah Thatho Bhaava,

Yatho Bhaava Thatho Rasa

-Natyasastra

Do you think that the societal shift of dance from Devadasi to prostitution affected its religiosity spiritual value?

Is it important to know the meaning of the dance you are watching? Do you think this is necessary? Does this help us spiritually? Why or why not?

Traditional Indian Dance has found it’s way into Bollywood, Hollywood, and other media outlets. Is this a good or bad thing? Why or why not?

Puja Meeting

Puja is a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities, distinguished persons, or special guests. In Hinduism, it is done on a variety of occasions and settings, from daily puja done in the home, to temple ceremonies and large festivals, or to begin a new venture. The two main areas where puja is performed is in the home and at public temples. There are many variations in scale, offering, and ceremony.  Puja is also performed on special occasions such as Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja. The puja is performed by Hindus worldwide. Various poojas are performed at various times of the day and on various times.

Difficult to say how exactly the Puja ceremony evolved

- Not practiced by the Vedic people

- Vedic community used physical and ritual sacrifices

- worshipped elements of nature

- chanted mantras, and incantations

There is a difference between Homa's an Pujas. A Homa is a ritual where offerings are made in a fire, it was used frequently in vedic times. It differs from Puja because it lacks a visual idol. 

Different types of Pujas: 

Ganapathi Puja - rebirth of the lord Ganesha. Believed lord ganesha bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival.

Subramanaya Puja: performed to the idol of Subramanya. Dispeller of all fears. Overcoming problems during pregnacy or having issues conceiving.

Lakshmi Puja: ususally performed during Diwali. People use oil lamps outside their homes and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them

Saraswathi Puja: making the start of spring and the Holi season.

Durga Puja: marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Maheshasura. Victory of Good over evil

Shiva Shakti Puja: helps to improve harmony in the marriage and to help integrate material and spiritual progress

Kali Puja: Kali is the fearful and ferocious form of the mother goddess. Kali puja helps to diminish our ego and all negative tendencies that hinder spiritual progress and material prosperity.

Discussion Questions:

1) What do you think of when you think about a puja?

2) Why do you think the transition was made to visual idols in pujas?

3) Are Puja's a necessary practice in Hinduism? Why or why not?

Common Mantras

For this weeks meeting we focused on Mantras, Shlokas and Bhajans.

Mantras is a sanskrit sound, syllable, word, or group of words which is itself capable of creating spiritual transformation. Shlokas are similar, the Mahabharata and Ramayana are examples of poems written exclusively in Shlokas. A bhajan is any type of devotional songs. It could even be as simple as a mantra or kirtan. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the divine. 

During the meeting we went through some common mantras, shlokas and bhajans. Listed below are a sample of what we discussed along with the English translations. 

Mantra

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽविद्यामुपासते | 

ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ विद्यायान् रताः ||

  andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti ye'vidyāmupāsate

tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyān ratāḥ

                          īśopaniṣad 9

Into blind darkness they enter,

 those who worship ignorance;

 And into even blinder darkness,

 those who delight in learning.

Discussion Question 1:

Do you find peace in the sounds of a prayer or do you need find it necessary to understand the meaning?

 Saraswati - Goddess of Knowledge

  Saraswati namastubhyam, Varade kaamaroopini; 

Vidyaarambham karishyaami, Siddhir bhavatu me sadaa. 

Meaning: Oh, Goddess Sarasvati, I bow to you, who are the fulfiller of all my wishes. I start my studies with the request that you will give me your blessings.

Ganesh- God of New Beginnings

  Vakratunda Mahakaaya
   Suryakoti Samaprabha
   Nirvighnam Kuru Mey Deva
  Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvada

Meaning:
The Lord with the curved trunk and a mighty body, who has the luster of a million suns, I pray to thee Oh Lord, to remove the obstacles from all the actions I intend to perform.

Why do think there are prayers particular to certain gods? Should people pray to them only in time of need?